BIG SKY – On Friday, Aug. 17, Karston Waarvik was killed when he drove his SUV off the road in Big Sky. Waarvik, 20, was a student at Montana State University in Bozeman.
Waarvik was driving up Lone Mountain Trail near mile marker six when the accident occurred, said Trooper J.D. McMartin of the Montana Highway Patrol, who investigated the accident. Waarvik crossed the southbound lane and 47 feet of dirt shoulder before plunging off a cliff and striking a tree 70 feet below. He was declared dead at the scene.
The section of road where the accident occurred is a long straightaway; there is no guardrail above the steep embankment where the accident happened. There was no indication that Waarvik hit the brakes, and witnesses said he may have been exceeding the speed limit, according to McMartin.
At press time, investigators were still waiting for toxicology reports to show if drugs or alcohol were involved.
Waarvik was studying business at MSU and was a 2010 graduate of Glasgow High School.
